News
26 February 2010
RIBA recognised as a leading business brand for third year running
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today been named the UK’s 114th leading business brand, in the prestigious Top 500 Business Superbrands list for 2010. The announcement follows a robust selection process administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis.
The Institute increased its ranking by 76 places from last year’s position, placing it ahead of global brands including CNN, Deutsche Bank and Castrol. This is the third time the RIBA has featured in the Business Superbrands list; in 2009, the Institute was ranked at no.190, having been initially listed at no.244 in 2008.
The RIBA was assessed using strict judging criteria tapping into the views of an independent and voluntary council of experts and over 1500 business professionals, the latter surveyed by research agency YouGov. Of the thousands of brands considered for inclusion, only the top 500 are deemed to be Business Superbrands. As a Business Superbrand, the RIBA is recognised as having the finest reputation in its field; it has also been judged on quality, reliability and distinction.
The RIBA’s chief executive, Harry Rich said:
“It is an honour for the Institute to be recognised for this prestigious accolade for the third year running, and be firmly established amongst global brand leaders. Business Superbrand status will help us achieve an even higher profile with the public, our members and with government, as we continue to promote architects, architecture and the benefits to society of good design.”
Notes to editors:
1. For further information, please contact Melanie Mayfield in the RIBA Press Office on 020 7307 3662 or melanie.mayfield@inst.riba.org.
2. The Business Superbrands selection process is administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA). The key stages of the selection process are as follows:
TCBA researchers compile a list of the UK’s leading business to business brands, drawing on a wide range of sources from sector reports to blogs. From the thousands of brands initially considered, a list of just over 1,100 brands is created.
These brands are scored by the independent and voluntary Expert Council, which is assembled and chaired by TCBA’s chief executive. Bearing in mind the given definition of a Business Superbrand (see below), the council members individually award each brand a rating from 1-10. Council members are not allowed to score brands with which they have a direct association or are in competition to. The lowest-scoring brands (approximately 40 per cent) are eliminated at this stage.
The remaining brands are voted on by more than 1,500 individual business professionals – defined as those who have either purchasing or managerial responsibilities. These individuals are accessed via a YouGov panel.
Taking the views of the experts and the business professionals into equal account, a combined score is produced for each brand. This score determines its position in the official league table; only the top 500 brands in that table are deemed to be Business Superbrands.
Melanie Mayfield
Head of Press
Royal Institute of British Architects
66 Portland Place
London W1B 1AD
T: +44 (0)20 7307 3662
F: +44 (0)20 7637 5775
